


Sore Muscles, Whiny Kryptonian

by Kendrickhier



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, technically comfort but not in That Way, tho tbh it might be kinda cracky too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-21 14:02:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9552104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kendrickhier/pseuds/Kendrickhier
Summary: Astra solarflared and is now without her powers, this time getting a whole new human experience: sore muscles.





	1. Chapter 1

The sunlight peeking through the curtain of their bedroom woke Astra, ever the light sleeper even without her super-senses. She'd blown out her powers yesterday morning, pushing her limits in her restlessness; it had been months since her last mission, or anything to challenge her at all.

Opening an eye, squinting against the light, she glanced sideways to find Alex still sleeping peacefully. The calm heartbeat of her girlfriend had quickly become Astra's favorite thing to wake up to, save feeling Alex wrapped around her completely. That was a rare occurrence however, more often than not the agent was turned away from her like this morning. Even in sleep, her Brave One was not a cuddler.

Smiling softly at the disheveled image before her, Astra moved to roll over and kiss the woman's forehead before going about her morning routine. She'd let the woman sleep a little longer as usual, while preparing coffee for the both of them, knowing that Alex would need at least half a cup of caffeine before anything else.

These plans were foiled however when she moved to lean over the other woman, the Kryptonian's muscles protesting at the movement and giving out, making her land on top of Alex with a surprised yelp.

With a soft grunt, Alex was alert in an instant, hands moving towards the body on top of her. "Wha-... Astra?"

Astra, now flush with embarrassment, tried to push herself up, grimacing at the burning and trembling of her muscles. She managed to keep it in check just long enough to flop onto her back again. "I... am guessing this is what you humans complain about when speaking of sore muscles."

The woman hadn't just pushed the limits of her superpowers the day before; she hadn't been satisfied by the time her powers failed her, so instead she'd continued with her near-human physique. While normally the yellow sun removed all soreness before it could set in, the woman had failed to acknowledge that this wasn't the case without her accelerated restoration.

Her girlfriend started laughing when it dawned on her that Astra had never experienced this before.

It earned her a weak swat, which was followed by a groan from the sore Kryptonian, making Alex laugh even harder.

"It's not funny!" Astra whined, pouting slightly. "I don't know how any of you deal with this, I can barely move."

Alex took a deep breath in an attempt to control her laughter. When she thought she got a hold of it another chuckle escaped her and it took all of her not to burst into full-blown laughter again, instead managing to stifle it. "We essentially just ignore it's there and move anyway." She finally rolled over to face Astra. "Did you not get sore muscles on Krypton?"

The woman shook her head, "It was deemed inefficient, so a system cleanse was mandatory after any workout. It was quick and convenient for everyone."

Perking up at that, Alex rose her eyebrows in interest. "You actually found a way to remove lactates in a matter of minutes? Externally?" Thinking it over, she frowned slightly, "I didn't think that was possible; even if you can move them to the liver directly, there is no way to oxidize everything at that rate."

Astra felt her heart warm. It wasn't that she forgot how smart Alex was, but every time it showed she couldn't help but love her a little bit more. "We had a powerful catalyst on Krypton, which I unfortunately do not remember the name of, but I don't believe you can find it on Earth. I never interested myself in the inner-workings of the process so, unless the AI knows it, that technology is truly lost." The woman pursed her lips, "It's a shame really, it was quite relaxing. Kind of like being in a hot tub."

The woman hummed, mentally making a note to ask the Alura AI as soon as she can. Even if the materials necessary don't exist on this planet, Alex was much too curious now to let it go. Besides, maybe there were substitutes that existed here, or maybe the example could inspire a completely different manner.

Astra rolled onto her side to face Alex, groaning as she did so. She huffed at herself, both frustrated with her body's weakness and her own maladjustment.

Alex's lip curled up briefly in amusement, before smiling gently and reaching out to cup Astra's cheek. Alex leaned in to give her a quick kiss. "I could get you some ibuprofen for that if you want."

"Oh Rao, yes, please," the Kryptonian groaned, once again making the human laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not, in fact, have a degree in bio-engineering. Unlike Alex, I do not know if I am talking absolute nonsense or if I'm actually somewhat accurate. So, like, take Alex's nerd moment with a grain of salt and imagine everything she said makes sense and is the undeniable truth :P


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astra's still a sore weakling and Alex tries to help her girlfriend out some more, this time by a massage.

When Alex returned from the DEO she was greeted by the sight of her girlfriend sprawled out on the couch, watching the television with rapt attention. It seems Astra hadn't noticed her presence yet. She was completely enthralled by what appears to be a documentary on the history of Earth, currently covering one of the ice ages.

The agent grinned, a plan quickly forming in her head. Without her super-senses it would be so easy to sneak up on the Kryptonian and this would likely be the only chance she'd ever get at doing so. Alex had tried to sneak up on Kara before, even after Hank had trained her, but there's simply no way to surprise a being that can hear your heartbeat from a mile away. Let alone a military woman with said ability.

Slowly Alex made her way over to the couch, rounding around the back, until she was crouched next to the armrest Astra had opted to use as a pillow. Alex leaned over to reach her ear in a quick move, "Hey there."

The effect was almost comical; Astra jumped up in a way that, usually, would have had her rocket away from the couch and hover at a distance. Without her ability to fly and gravity very much having an effect on her however, it was more akin to the jump of a startled cat, accompanied by several pained groans and a "By Rao, Alexandra, you could have given me a heart attack."

Alex snorted, because even without powers, the woman had a stronger heart than any human's. "Drama queen," she teased, before leaning over and pecking her girlfriend's lips. "Those muscles of yours doing any better?"

"No," Astra scowled, watching Alex get back up and lift sore legs to sit down on the other end of the couch, placing them on her lap. "They appear to have gotten worse. Is that reason for concern?"

"Not really," the agent replied, leaning back and turning to look at Astra properly. "Even if it were, it's nothing a sunbath can't fix once your powers return. How long has it been?"

"32 Hours, 27 minutes, and 59 seconds." The Kryptonian hadn't even glanced at a clock before answering. "Is there truly nothing that could help? That ibuprofen was as effective as a glass of water."

Alex looked down at Astra's feet as the woman spoke. She'd omitted putting on socks today, probably too sore to have bothered with it, judging from the rest of her attire: a red sweater she'd pulled out of Alex's closet, as well as a pair of her black sweatpants.

Astra didn't own any clothing that didn't cling to her like a second skin, deeming loose clothing a hindrance, but clearly today had changed her mind on that matter. It made Alex wonder if the woman had tried to put on her own clothes and realized halfway through that this would be unpleasant, or if she'd gone straight for Alex's comfortable ones in the dresser.

Putting those thoughts aside, Alex wordlessly started rubbing the woman's foot.

"What are you doing?" There was a frown on Astra's face, which melted away quickly when a particularly sensitive spot was hit. " _Oh_."

Alex grinned at that, continuing for a little longer before doing the same to the other foot. "We might not have technology to recover our muscles, but a good massage can at least ease the tension a little." She was hardly a masseuse, but her knowledge of both human and Kryptonian anatomy did give her an advantage when it came to giving a massage. "It would be more comfortable on the bed, though."

Immediately Astra made a move to get up, briefly, only to get back into her previous position with a light grimace on her face. "I'm comfortable enough on the couch."

"Want me to carry you?"

She scowled, "I'm not an infant, I can walk."

To prove that point, Astra did get up this time, gritting her teeth. She wasn't fast by any means, but she certainly did move towards the bedroom; by definition Astra was capable of walking. That's not what Alex would call it though, she was more inclined to call it stumbling.

The Kryptonian got about halfway before her legs gave out and fell sideways with a surprising amount of grace. She just lay there. Defeated.

Alex appeared in front of her, looking entirely too smug as she crouched down. " _Now_ do you want me to carry you?"

She huffed and closed her eyes. "Fine," Astra conceded, "Yes."

Shaking her head in amusement, Alex picked the woman up, carrying her bridal-style. The stupidly stubborn, proud woman she loved with all her heart. For all the times Astra carried her, may it be for flying or for the heck of it, this would likely be the only time she'd allow Alex to carry her instead. She looked at her lover's closed eyes. "You know there's no shame in this, right?"

Lips pursed before Astra opened her eyes, meeting the other woman's. She sighed softly and cupped Alex's cheek. "I know, Brave One. I simply despise feeling this..." Astra paused, looking for the right word. Her nose wrinkled, "Helpless, even to human standards."

Alex smiled sympathetically, by now standing at the edge of their bed. "Just a little longer, Ash. You'll be back to your old self in no time." With that she lay the Astra down gently and climbed on top of the bed, settling over the woman. She tugged the end of the sweater, "Are you gonna take that off or should I?"

"It will probably go faster if you do it," Astra sighed.

The sweater was removed easily and Alex urged for the woman to turn onto her stomach, which she obliged to without protest. So she got to work, starting at Astra's neck and shoulders, applying just the right amount of pressure. Alex could feel the tension drain from Astra's body, accompanied by a sigh of relief.

She let Astra's cues guide her as she worked her way down, getting firmer near her spine where the tension lay deeper, pressing more gently when a spot was more sensitive. Alex was completely focused on her task, settling into an easy rhythm. She learned that there was a spot below her shoulder-blades that made Astra moan and that her sides weren't as sensitive as hers or Kara's.

Once finished with her upper body, arms included, Alex carefully removed the sweatpants too, continuing down her legs. Astra seemed completely relaxed at this point, much to the agent's delight. That was the intention after all and she was almost finished. Fingers kneading skin, taking note of the scar on the woman's calf she hadn't noticed before.

At least an hour had passed since she'd begun and Alex was finally done. She sat back and smiled at the peaceful woman, the sight warming her heart. It was then she took notice of Astra's breathing, heavier than usual and bordering on a soft snoring, making Alex laugh lightly. She crawled back up and settled behind Astra, curling around her and pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder.

"Sleep well, my love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A major thanks to theraccoonloon (pink-kryptonite-kara on tumblr) for helping me actually finish this ^_^ 
> 
> You can also thank snow_lily (and rednranger) for reminding a sleep-deprived mind that a massage would be the obvious course of action when it comes to sore muscles, lol. Sorry if it's not as hot as you'd hoped?


End file.
